Decree on Groups of Persons ("Personengruppenverordnung" – PersGV)

Individuals belonging to a group of persons according to the Decree on Groups of Persons, who have a recognised proof as listed below, may do the following at the University of Vienna:

Submit the scans of your documents as PDF files. Merge multiple proofs into one PDF file.

We have created a summarised version of the Decree on Groups of Persons on this page. This is intended to help you understand the complex legal text. Only the original legal text is valid. You can find it at “Legal Basis” on the bottom of this page.

Groups of Persons

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  • Persons who have a residence permit due to the Asylum Act

    You belong to the group of persons according to § 1 subpara 6 PersGV if you are granted residence in Austria due to

    • §§ 3, 8, 13 or 75 para 5 and 6 of the Asylum Act 2005, BGBI. I. Nr. 100/2005, in the version of the Federal Act BGBI. Nr. 145/2017, or
    • former regulations in the Asylum Act

    Proofs

    • Geneva Convention passport, asylum card ("Asylkarte") or
    • confirmation of granted asylum ("Asylbescheid") or
    • official confirmation by the Federal Agency for Reception and Support Services (BBU) or a lawyer that your asylum procedure is not yet concluded
  • Persons who are employed in diplomatic service

    You, your spouse, your civil partner, and your children belong to the group of persons according to § 1 subpara 1 PersGV if you

    • have certain privileges and immunities in Austria according to a state treaty or federal law or
    • are staying abroad on behalf of the Republic of Austria at the time of obtaining your secondary-school leaving certificate and have certain privileges and immunities according to a state treaty there

    Proofs

    • legitimation card
    • and, if applicable, marriage certificate, birth certificate, certificate of civil partnership
  • Persons with main place of residence in Austria (during the last five years before first applying for admission to a degree programme)

    You belong to the group of persons according to § 1 subpara 3 PersGV if you, or the person from whom you are legally entitled to receive maintenance (e.g. parents, spouse, …)

    • have had your/their main place of residence in Austria
    • during five consecutive years
    • immediately prior to first applying for admission at a university, university of applied sciences or university college of teacher education in Austria

    Proofs

    • Current confirmation of registration, that you had your main place of residence in Austria throughout five consecutive years before you first applied for admission at an Austrian university. A registration form is not sufficient!

    Main place of residence not continuously in Austria?

    If you (or the person from whom you are entitled to receive maintenance) did not have your/their main place of residence in Austria during five consecutive years, the following documents can be accepted as additional proof for the time gaps:

    • excerpt of insurance details ("Versicherungsdatenauszug") of an Austrian social insurance as a proof of employment or the right to social benefits or
    • school reports issued by an Austrian secondary educational institution or
    •  transcript of records issued by an Austrian post-secondary educational institution (this only applies to the person liable for maintenance)

    The prerequisites for belonging to a group of persons are fulfilled by the person from whom you are entitled to receive maintenance?

    If the prerequisites are fulfilled by the from whom you are legally entitled to receive maintenance, you additionally need:

    • marriage certificate or birth certificate (if applicable with a sworn translation into German or English) or
    • proof of co-insurance with the person liable for maintenance

    Attention: Declaration of the first-time application to a degree programme

    If you apply for equal status with EU/EEA citizens with regard to the tuition fee, and the application for admission to a degree programme within the application period for EU/EEA citizens you have to keep the following in mind: You have already applied for admission to a degree programme at another Austrian university, university of applied sciences or college of teacher education? If this is the case, you must declare it to make your belonging to the above mentioned group of persons valid. Submit the admission letter of the other educational institution in your application. Hiding this information may cause a re-evaluation of your application and lead to the termination of your admission at the University of Vienna.

  • Persons who receive a scholarship

    You belong to the group of persons according to § 1 subpara 4 PersGV, if you receive a scholarship for the intended degree programme

    • either due to state treaty regulations or
    • from an Austrian authority with means specifically designated for scholarships according to that authority’s financial regulations

    Proofs

    • Confirmation about the granting of the scholarship
  • Secondary-school leaving certificate issued by an Austrian school abroad/South Tyrolean secondary-school of the second degree

    You belong to the group of persons according to § 1 subpara 5 PersGV, if you

    • have a secondary-school leaving certificate of an Austrian school abroad or 
    • have passed a state examination of a South Tyrolean secondary-school of the second degree where the language of instruction is German or Ladin, if it is not connected to direct university access in Italy anyway. 

    Proofs

    • secondary-school leaving certificate of an Austrian school abroad or
    • certificate of completion of a South Tyrolean secondary-school of the the second degree
  • Persons who work as journalists

    You, your spouse, your civil partner, and your children belong to the group of persons according to § 1 subpara 2 PersGV if you are an accredited journalist in Austria and your main occupation is working as a foreign journalist here.

    Proofs

    • accreditation (card)
    • and, if applicable, marriage certificate, birth certificate, certificate of civil partnership

 FAQ

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  • My asylum procedure is completed. Which proof do I have to submit for my application for equal status with EU/EEA citizens regarding the tuition fee?

    Please upload your Geneva Convention passport in our Servicedesk, when you submit your (new) application for equal status.

    Detailed info about the application for equal status with EU/EEA citizens regarding the tuition fee

  • I am already a student at the University of Vienna. Do I have to proof that I belong to a group of persons?

    Yes, if you have the citizenship of a Non-EU/EEA country and you

    Exceptions: The proof is not required when

    • changing teaching subject in the bachelor programme in Teacher Education
    • changing the number of working languages in the bachelor programme in Transcultural Communication
  • What does "first-time application" mean?

    "Frist-time application" refers to the point in time when you submitted an application for admission to a degree programme at an Austrian university, university of applied sciences or college for teacher education for the very first time. 

    For example:
    You applied for admission at the Medical University of Vienna in 2015. It does not matter, if you were admitted to the degree programme there. Only the fact, that you have applied for admission is important. If you now want to prove that you belong to a group of persons according to § 1 subpara 3, you have to proof that you had your main place of residence in Austria from 2010 to 2015. 

  • I want to proof my belonging to a group of persons due to my marriage/civil partnership/parents. Which documents do I need?

    You need:

    • all documents that would be required if you belonged to a group of persons yourself and
    • the valid passports or personal ID cards (both sides) of you and the other person and
    • your marriage certificate/certificate of civil partnership/birth certificate and
    • if applicable proof of change of name and
    • if applicable a sworn translation of all documents into German or English
  • What is a confirmation of registration?

    In the confirmation of registration all places of residence must be listed (not only the last two). You receive your confirmation of registration at the responsible registration authority (municipal office, municipal administration, ...)